Material conveyer for furnaces



Patented Jan. 22, 1929.

UNITED stares 1,699,955 PATENT- OFFICE.

FRANK '1. COPE, OF SALEM, OHIO, ASSIGNOB TO THE ELECTRIC FURNACE COMPANY, 1 OF SALEM, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

MATERIAL CONVEYER FOR FURNACES.

Application filed January 3, 1927. Serial No. 158,516.

The invention relates toimechanism for converging material through furnaces and more particularly to a conveyer apparatus for feeding small circular or irregular shaped 5 articles through a heat treating or annealing furnace at a uniform speed.

In annealing or heat treating articlessuch as collars, roller bearing cups, gear blanks, bolts and the like, difficulty has been experienced in uniformly feeding the articles through the furnace. Attempts have been made to accomplish uniform feeding of the material by inclining the hearth and providing pusher means for passing the articles down the inclined heart-h but such apparatus has not proven successful, it being found that where the incline is sufficiently great to permit the articles to roll through the furnace the speed of movement of the articles cannot go be uniformly controlled; and where the incline is lessened sufiiciently to overcome this diflicult there is a tendency for the articles to stop efore they reach the extreme end of the furnace hearth.

25 The object of the present improvement is to overcome the above difficulties by providing a conveyer means in combination with a hearth having stop means whereby the articles are continuously conveyed through the furndiace step by step at a uniform rate of s ee The above and other objects may be attained by providin areciprocating support for the articles to fie heated, the articles being moved with the support with each forward reeiprocationthereof, means being provided for preventing the articles-from returning with the back stroke of the support.

An.- embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

which Figure -1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a furnace provided with the improved material conveyer adapted for feedlng circular articles; 7

ig. 2, an enlarged transverse sectional Eiew taken substantially on the line 2-2,

i 1; f ig. 3,. a longitudinal sectional view through a furnaceprovided with a modified form of the feeding means especially adapt-' ed for feeding bolts and similar articles;

4, a view similar to Fig. 3, showing a still urther modification,- and Fig. 5, a section on the line 5 -5, Fig. 3.

usual and well known design and is provided with the inclined hearth 2, the ends of which at. A, to rest directly upon the bottom of the ticle drops from t e free end of each-bar, into Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

Referring first to the structure illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the furnace 1 may be of any are preferably extended through the charging and discharge openings 3 and 4 respectively.

A hearth is provided with spaced longitudinally disposed ribs 5 forming channels 6 therebetween of a width substantially the thickness of the articles shown at 7.

A stop, preferably in the form of a triangular lug 8, is provided in each channel, near the discharge end of the furnace. A reciprocating bar 9 is located upon the bottom of each channel and arranged to be reciprocated by any suitable means such as the lever 10 and pitman rod 11.

This pitman rod may be operativ'ely connected to a crank arm 12 carried by a shaft 13 arranged tobe rotated by any suitable gearing located in the gear housing 14 and driven as by the motor 15. a v

In the rear position each rod is arranged to be located, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, with its free end spaced from the lug 8 a sufii eient distance to permit an article, as shown channel, between the stop 8.

In its forward position, as shown in dottedlines in Fig. 1, the free end of the bar is substantiall contacting with the lug 8, being arrange to thrust the article A over the projection 8, as'shown in dotted lines at A.

In operating the apparatus to convey the articles uniformly through the furnace, the articles are charged upon the upper ends of the bars, at the charging opening 3 and permitted to roll down upon the bars until they a I engage the stops 8. I f

With each reci rocation of the bars, an arend of the bar and the the pos1t1on shown at A, as the bars are moved rearwardly, and upon the forward movement of the bars each of these articles is thrust over the projection 8 and rolls down the inclined hearth through the discharge openin of the furnace.

It will thus be seen that the rate of movement of the. articles through the furnace is uniformly controlled, each row of articles.

moving slowly and uniformly downward 11o each row being intermittently projected over the lug and out of the furnace. Any desired passed down the inclined discharge 0 rate of movement of the material through the furnace may be obtained by regulating the speed of reciprocation of the bars accordingly.

In Fig. 3 is shown a form of the invention adapted for feeding bolts or similar articles through the furnace. lnthis form of the invention the operating means may be the same as shown in Fig. l and the reciprocating bars 9 may be of substantially the same construction. No stop is provided at the lower end of the hearth but one or more pivoted pawls 20 are adapted to rest upon the bolts or other articles A to prevent back movement of the same with the back stroke of the reciprocating bar while with each forward movement of the bar the articles are carried forwardly and then beneath said pawls. Upon the back movement of the bar the pawls retain the articles in this position and the bar slides out from under the forward articles.

Upon the next forward movement of the bar the articles which have been moved forwardly of the end thereof, as shown at A are pushed forward 'upon the hearth by means of the bar, the articles ti'nall being hute 21..

The construction shown in Fig. 4 is very similar to that shown in Fig. 3, with the exception that the reci )rocating bars 9 may extend 'substantiallyt e entire length of the hearth, and if desired, a pluralit of pawls 20 may be provided at space intervals throughout the length of the hearth. In this form of the invention, with each forward movement of the bar, all of the articles are carried forwardly upon the bar and then as the bar moves backward the pawls retain the articles in the same manner as above described, permitting the bar to slide from be- --neath the foremost articles, which upon the next forward movement of the bar are dischar ed down the chute 21 I c aim:

1. A material conveyer for furnaces including a hearth provided with channels to receive articlesto be conveyed through the furnace, stop lugs in the channels near the lower end of the hearth, and reciprocating bars located in the bottoms of the channels.

2. A material conveyer for furnaces including a hearth provided with channels to receive articles to be conve ed through the furnace,..stop lugs in the 'c annels near the lower end of the hearth, and reciprocating bars located in the bottoms of the channels between the stop lugs and the upper end of the hearth.

3. A material conveyor for furnaces including ahearth provided with channels to receive articles to be conveyed through the furnace, triangular stop lugs in the channels near the lower end of the hearth, and reciproeating bars located in the bottoms of the channels.

4. A' material conveyor for furnaces including a hearth provided with channels to receive articles to be conveyed through the furnace, stop lugs in the channels near the lower end of the hearth, reciprocating bars located in the bottoms of the channels between the stop lugs and the upper end of the hearth, and means for reciprocating the bars between the stop lug and a point spaced therefrom substantially equal to the width of one of the articles.

5. A material conveyer for furnaces including an inclinedhearth provided with channels to receive articles to be conveyed through the furnace, stop lugs in the channels near the lower end of the hearth, and reciprocating bars located in the bottoms of the channels. l

(i. A material conveyer for furnaces including an inclined hearth provided with channels. to receive articles to be. conveyed through the furnace, stop lugs in the channcls near the lower end. of the hearth, and reciprocating bars located in the bottoms of the channels between the stop lugs and the upper end of the hearth.

7. A material conveyor for furnaces including an inclined hearth provided with channels to' receive'articles to be conveyed through the furnace, triangular stop lugs in the channels near the lower end of the hearth,

and reciprocating bars located in the bottoms.

of the channels.

8. A material conveyer for furnaces including an inclined hearth prbvided with channels to receive articles to be conveyed through the furnace, stop in s in the channels near the lower end of the hearth, reciprocating bars located in thebottoms of the channels between the stop lugs and the upper end of the hearth, and means for reciprocating the bars between the stop lug and a point spaced therefrom substantially equal to the width of one of the articles.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed. my name.

FRANK T. COPE. 

